Locking valve



J. MERCIER LOCKING VALVE Sept. 18, 1945.

Filled June 21, 194s INVTOR. Jen/v Merel/er ATTOR N EY Patented Sept. 18, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT` OFFICE LOCKING VALVE J can Mercier, New York, N. Y.

Application June 21, 1943, Serial No. 491.631

6 Claims.

The present invention pertains to valve means to 'be inserted into the passage member for a liquid usually employed in connection with hydraulic accumulators.

Accumulator-s of the contemplated type are shown in my copending application Serial No. 272,791, filed May 10, 1939, and patented October 19, 1943, as No. 2,331,921, and in my Patent No. 2,256,835, issued September 23, 1941. They generally comprise a container and a lbag or bag-like diaphragm therein.- Usually there is provided a passage in one end of the container to admit and discharge a liquid and the bag is inflated with a gas under pressure.

. It has been suggested that valve means be inserted into said passage for a liquid in order to safeguard the ibag against injury. These devices generally include a movable valve element adapted to be applied against a seat and so to obstruct the communication through said passage. Said movable valve member is maintained by resilient means in the open position and adapted to be closed when said -bag contacts the same coincident with a nearly complete draining of the accumulator.

Devices of that kind have the shortcoming that the outflow of fluid from the accumulator exerts a force on said movable valve element, tending to close the valve. If the movaible element is easy to displace, the valve will be prematurely closed when the quick withdrawal of an appreciable amount of liquid is attempted. If said element. on the contrary, is adapted to offer considerable resistance, then, accidents affecting the bag are liable to occur due to delayed or incomplete closure of the valve. 4

It is the object of the present invention to de- Fig. 2 is a section of a modified locking valve.

In Fig. 1 the valve is shown in its open and locked position. I designates a container and 2 a bag, respectively, and a valve casing 3 is inserted into passage 4 provided in one end of container I. Casing 3 includes a valve seat 5 formed in the opening thereof to the interior of container I and a cylinder bore A movable valve element 1 is inserted into member 3 slidably engaging bore 8 with a projecting portion 8 and adapted to engage seat 5 by means of a head 9. Element 1 further includes a cylinder bore I0 in the axial direction and radial slots II.

An auxiliary element is carried in ibore l0 having a recessed portion I2 adjacent its end portion I8, a piston-like intermediate portion I3 slida'bly engaging bore Iii and a head I4 which projects beyond head 9. 'I'he auxiliary elementis urged upwardly by a spring I5. Looking fingers I8 are adapted to engage grooves I1 provided in casing 3.

In the position shown fingers I6 are pushed v into grooves IT by portion I8 of the auxiliary elevise a valve which cannot be closed by the forces v resulting from the flow of the liquid, but will be readily closed when the bag or diaphragm makes contact therewith.

'Io that end, the movable valve member is normally locked fby mechanical or hydraulic means in the open position. The locking means include a member projecting into the interior of the accumulator or the like beyond said movable valve element. so that the outflow of fluid from said accumulator will not cause any appreciable action on said projecting member. However, when the partitioning means provided in the containerthey may be a bag, a diaphragm, or even a Diston--make contact with said projecting member, the locking means will -be released whereupon the movable valve element will close readily.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments thereof given by way of example and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 is a section of a. locking valve according to the present invention;

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ment and element 1 is prevented from displacement. When bag 2 makes contact with head I4 .the auxiliary element will lbe displaced until heads I4 and 9 meet. In that position fingers I6 will 'be in register with recessed portion I2. Thus, the locking means are released and, upon further pressure exerted on head 9 fingers I6 will withdraw from grooves I1 and element 1 will slide down in member 2 until head 9 is applied against seat l.

Fig. 2 also shows the valve in the open and locked positions. A passage 22 is formed in one end of container 2|. Into passage 22 is inserted a sleeve 23 forming a valve seat 24 at the opening of passage 22 to the interior of container 2I. A cylinder 23 is secured to sleeve 23. Conduits 26 permit the inand outflow of liquid to and from container 2I. A piston like portion 28 of movable valve element 29 slidably engages the inner wall 21 of cylinder 25. Element 29 carries a head 30 projecting into the interior of container 2| and adapted to close the same by making contact with seat 24.

'Ihroughout valve element 29 extends, in the axial direction, a cylindrical passage 3| of' varying cross sectional area. Passage 3I communicates is locked, since no iiuid can escape from bore 21 through passage 3i. However, when the lpartitioning means in container 2i comes to contact head 3l, it will displace the same until heads I1 and 30 meet. At the same time, ball 39 is lifted from seat 4| by pin 38, so that uid can escape xom bore 21 through passage 3i and conduits cause element 29 to slide down in bore 21 until head 30 contacts seat 24.

Member 3 and sleeve 23 are shown in a P0- sition slightly projecting' into the interior of the container. This is advantageous, since when the bag or the like is completely applied against the passage for a liquid, some liquid will be trapped between the projection and the adjacent portion of the wall of the container, so that the bag will be evenly and smoothly supported.

The locking valve according to the present invention while primarily devised for use in connection with hydraulic accumulators may be used to advantage in any case where a vessel, such as a container or conduit is to be provided with a valve which will, normally, not interfere with the flow of iiuid, but will promptly and readily stop the same whenever a movable element included in said vessel makes contact with said valve.

Such a movable element may be constituted by partitioning means or by any conventional device adapted to engage the locking means and the same may be manually operated from the outside or may be automatically responsive to conditions of flow and/or pressure of the fluid within the vessel.

The foregoing description is not intended to limit the present invention which extends to all changes, modications and equivalents within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Flow regulating device which comprises a vessel, 'partitioning means inside said vessel, to provide two variable volume chambers therein, valve means associated with said vessel to control ow of uid therein, locking means associated with said valve means adapted, normally, to lock said valve means in the open position, said locking means including a member projecting into said vessel beyond said valve means, and said locking means being further adapted to release said valve means when said projecting member is engaged by said partitioning means.

2. Flow regulating device according to claim 1 in which said partitioning means is adapted to engage the projecting Amember of said locking means when the flow of fluid attains a predetermined rate.

3. Valve device for controlling the admission and discharge of fluid to and from an hydraulic accumulator which comprises a container, partitioning means to provide two variable volume chambers therein, a passage in said container, a sleeve rigid with said passage, a valve seat formed in the endface of said sleeve toward the interior of said container, a movable valve element associated with said sleeve and adapted to obstruct communication between said container and the .outside when said movable valve element is applied against said seat, means including an auxiliary member carried by said movable valve element to lock the latter in the open position, said auxiliary member projecting into the interior of said container, beyond said movable valve element, said last mentioned means being adapted to release said movable valve element when said Further pressure exerted upon head 30 will axillary member is being engaged by said partitioning means, and the latter being adapted to engage said auxiliary member when the pressure of said uid in said container attains a predetermined value.h

4. A valve which comprises a cylindrical valve casing, a valve seat formed in one end portion of said casing, a movable valve element within said casing, a head carried by said movable valve element projecting from said casing adapted to engage said seat, an auxiliary element slidably carried in said movable valve element, including a member projecting beyond said head and locking means associated with said movable and auxiliary elements, said locking means being operatively controlled by said auxiliary element and being adapted to prevent displacement of said movable valve element in the axial direction when said projecting member of said auxiliary element is at a distance from said head and to release the same when said member is adjacent said head.

5. A valve which comprises a cylindricalvalve casing, a valve seat formed in one end portion of said casing, a movable valve element within said casing, a head carried by said movable element projecting from said casing adapted to engage said seat, an auxiliary element slidably carried in said movable valve element, including a member projecting beyond said head, locking means associated with said movable and auxiliary elements; said locking means including a cylinder bore extending through said movable element, locking pins radially slidable in said movable element, a part of said auxiliary element slidably engaging said bore, said part including a recessed portion toy release said locking pins from the locking position, a groove in the wall of said casing to receive the outer ends of said pins when the same are being forced to project from said movable element, and the inner ends of said pins engaging said auxiliary element; said locking means being adapted to prevent axial displacement of said movable valve element when said projecting member of said auxiliary element is at a distance from said head and to release the same when said member is adjacent said head.

,6. A valve which comprises a cylindrical valve casing, a valve seat formed in one end portion of said casing, a movable valve element within said casing, a head carried by said movable element projecting from said casing adapted to engage said seat, an auxiliary element slidably carried in said movable valve element, including a member projecting beyond said head, locking means associated with said movable and auxiliary elements; said locking means including a cylinder provided within said casing, a part of said movable element being slidably carried within said cylinder and denning a variable volume chamber therein, passages in said movable element for communication between said chamber and the interior of said casing, a springloaded ball within said chamber to obstruct said communication, and a pin associated with said auxiliary element extending through and loosely fitting in one of said passages and being adapted to displace said ball when said auxiliary element is displaced; said locking means being adapted to prevent axial displacement of said movable element when said projecting member of said auxiliary element is at a distance from said head and to release the same when said member is adjacent said head.

JEAN MERCIER. 

